Can-handling mechanism



S. EBERLY.

CAN HANDLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-2|, I919.

1,373,605. Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

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/ III/ll s. EBERLY. CAN HANDLING MECHANISM.

I APPLICATION FILED OCLZI, I919. 1,373,605. Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

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S. EBERLY. CAN HANDLING MECHANISM.

' APPLICATION FILED 0CT.2I. 1919. 1,373,605. Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

MIT ll-mllhIIIHII-H-H 3W illriillkilllilI! il'imll Gummy UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

synvnsrnn nBnRLY, or TOLEDO, onro, AssIGNon To DAVID A. YODER, onmonnno,

CAN -HA1\TDLING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 21, 1919. Serial No. 332,269.

T 0 all cc ham 2t may concern Be it knownthat I, SYLvns'rnR EBERLY, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at-Toledo,'Lucascounty, Ohio, have invented new and useful Can-HandlingMechanisms,- of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to mechanism for arranging similar or identicalarticles.

This invention has utility when incorporated in mechanism for groupingcans havingone filling end in a common classification as to such fillingend, as for condensed milk plants.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of an embodiment of the invention ina machine for handling the talls or long cylindrical cans or containerssuch as are used for 1 lb. cans of condensed milk and approximating 3inches in diameter and 1% inches high, with a inch hexagonal hole in oneend only thereof as a filling openingcentral of such end;

1F ig. 2 is a detail View of some of the driving'connections for themachine of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial view ofthe supply conveyer and up-ending' device forthe machine; 1 I

Fig. 4c is a view of the conducting means effecting spaced seating ofthe cans of the Lip-ended supply;

Fig.- 5 is a view of the sorter as coacting with the seated cans; I

Fig. '6 is a section on the line VI-VI,

Fi J 5" Fig is a view of the take-offcoacting means for the cans left inthe seats by the.

sortergand Fig. 8 is a view of the take-off chute and Lip-ending way forsorter-selected cans.

Cylindrical cansl having imperforate bottoms 2, tops3 with centralhexagonal filling openings 4 may be in storage bin or box car 5, inricks ortumbled about. rapid removal of such from such bulk groupings, aworkman may have a fork to insert between or under the cans as restingtogether, andby lifting such fork, a conslderable number of the lightempty cans 1 may be removed at a time for deposit inhopper 6 aboveb'eltconveyer'? to be moved by the conveyerj '7 to slide down supplychute 8 into receiver 9. About a bushel or say fifty.

ofthese cans may be forked at one time.

For the on connected by belt 23 to pulley 24:011 shaft 25 operating theconveyer belt Eccentric 26 on the slow speed motor shaft 12 may, throughlink 27, rock or shake the receiver 9 on its bearing 28, for continuallyshifting the cans 1 sliding bv chute 8 into the receiver 9. These cans las thus rolled and tumbled about into the receiver 9 are readily Lp-ended by sliding downward into throats 29 in the bottom of therecelver 9. Such outlet means or throats 29 are concentrically aboveguides having upper portions 30 tapered outside the taper of the throats29 to receive cans 1 therefrom. A rigid frame 31 carries the group ofguides 30, which have lower semi-cylindrical portions 32 for steadyingthe cans 1 as sliding downward thereinto to be sustained on the table10. The direction of rotation of the table 10 is such as to withdrawfrom the guides 32 through the open sides 33 thereof, the cans 1 aslip-ended therein. The. arrangement of the throats 29 is such that inthe table rotation, theup-ended cans as drawn from the guides 32 mayclear each other. Theex'tent ofthe'guides 32, 30, is such that as longas a can on the table 10 holds a can thereover invthe tapered portion30, shaking of the receiver not jam or wedge other cans in the throat29:

As the tableblO moves continuously in carrying up-ended' cans away fromthe up endin'gshaker device, such cansare directed to a single filetraveling series. Central shaft 34 carries a stationary directing frame35 for urging the cans in a single row adjacent outer stationary frame36," as the table 10 rotates.

After the directing frame 35 with its yieldable section 37 has effectedthe single row grouping of the cans 1, Lip-ended but unclassified as tothe filling openings l, conducting means comprising chute 38 withPatented Apr. 5, 1921.1

bearings 13, 14:."

. tion of the frame 35, has outer side 40 as a continuation of the frame36. This side 40 has yieldable section 41, fordirecting the up endedcans as actuated down the chute, 38 by the cans on the table 10, intospaced seats embodying partitions 42' above an annular ledge 43concentric with the table 10 and as a drop rim thereof. 1 V

The cans 1 are thus arranged in definitely spaced relation in theannular series of seats about the table 10 as a way surroundingandsomewhat below the table top. A stationary holding frame 44 as acontinuation of the .-side guideframe 40, retains the cans 1 in theseats, which are soshallow that side portions of the cans projectradially out of these seats. r

Concentric with the can when in full seated position, each seat hastherebelow a plunger or pin 45 (Figs. 5, 6,), normally held down by ahelical spring 46. As the table 10 rotates, the lower ends of these p1ns45 ride upward on a stationary cam 47.i

This cam 47 is located beyond the end of the frame 44. If the can 1 overthe pin45 hasits end 3 down, the pin 45 merely moves upwardinto the hole4 and does not disturb such can. However, if the can 1 has its bottomend 2 down, there being no opening therein,the pin 45, in rising, liftssuch can 1. Asthe can is lifted, inclined headless pin 48, just belowthe top of the table 10, directs the upper end of the lifted can 1outward, so that such can is thrown out of the seat onto its side.'Withthe upward movement of the pin 45, spacing arm 49 rises throughopening 50 in ledge 51 as the third or outermost of the annular seriesof ways carried by the table 10. All of these cans 1 ejected from theseats 42, 48, had their bottom'or imperforate ends 2 down. Thus theconfiguration of the cans 1 as contacted by the pin 45 of the throw-outdevice has brought about a selection and classification of certain of.the cans 1. V

There is likewise, left in the seats 42, 43, definitely classified cans1 all of. those which have the filling opening 4, down. As the table 10continues its rotation, stationary controlling means embodying a finger52 below the partitions 42, slides in back of eachof the cans 1 left inthe seats on the ledge 43, to urge such cans 1, off upon chute ward, maynow pass through cage 55 for bringing the filling openlngs 4 up, and bethence conducted on conveyer cable 56 between stationary guide frames57, 58,.to a

can filling machine. In practice this conveyer would receiveapproximately 50% of the cans thrown upon the conveyer belt 7 Thus thismachine or can handling mechanlsni may be an automatic adaptation forsupplying a plurality of can filling ma chines.

The cans which have been rolled or rocked upon the ledge 51, may havetheir closed or inner ends engaged by a stationary finger 59, to movethese cans 1 radially outward, as the table 10 rotates, for urging alongchute 60 as outwardly limited by a guide frame member 61. The cam 4?extends to just short of the linger 59 so that the spacing arms 49 areeffective. This means that there .is a positive crowding of theselaid-sidewise cans from the ledge 51 into the chute 60. To bring thesecans 1 into position to have their fill--' ing openings 4 up, a cage 62of 90 throw, instead of 180 as is cage 55, swirls these cans fordelivery to conveyer cable 63 between stationary guide members 64,65,:in travel to; a can filling machine. i

i There is accordingly accomplished by the device of this disclosure, anarranged delivery of cans. ,With a six foot diameter table 10 rotatingsix times per minute, four 1111111 dred one-pound cans per minute areautomatically supplied and classified directly to a filling machine byasingle man in the car being unloaded, or in the storage room. The cansare gently handled speedily 'No' harrnis thus done to the containers.The device does not occupy as much space as" would be required by manualsorting, saves such labor, and requires but little power to nlsm for movng cans of one end identification structure away. from cans having adifferent identification structure as to such end.

3. Can handling mechanism embodying a supply chute, a receiver, and"means for shaking the receiver to up-end the cans. I

4. Can handling mechanism comprisinga supply chute, a receiver withtapered throats therefrom, and means for shaking the re-- ceiver todirect cans throughthe throats for up-ending the cans.

5. Can handling mechanism embodying a supply chute, a receiver withtapered throats therefrom, a shaker for the receiver, and guides forreceiving cans up -ended bythe shaking to pass through thethroats; H

6. Can handling mechanism embodying a supply chute, a receiver withdischarge throat means therefrom, a shaker for rocking the receiver tospill cans therefrom through the throat ineans, and open side guidemeans for receiving up-ended cans from the throat means.

7 Can handling mechanism comprising up-ending means for cans including atubular way, open side guide means for receiving up-ended cans from theway, and can supporting means movable under the guide means to removelip-ended cans from the guide means through the open side thereof.

8. A supply chute, stationary bottomless open side guides providing canup-ending means from the chute, and directing means for bringing theup-ended cans into a row.

9. Can handling mechanism comprising movable platform to progress aseries of up-ended cans, guide means for moving the cans on saidplatform into a row, a series of seats movable with the platform, andcom ducting means for positioning cans on the platform from the row intosaid seats.

10. Can handling mechanism comprising means to progress a series ofseats, conducting means for positioning cans in the seats, and a sorterfor selecting and removing cans from the seats.

11. Can handling mechanism comprising an annular series of seats,conducting means for positioning the cans in the seats, a throw-outdevice for selecting cans in the seats, and means for operating thethrowout for removing selected cans from the seats.

12. Can handling mechanism comprising an annular series of seats,driving means therefor, conducting means for positioning cans in theseats, a throw-out device, and stationary cam means for operating thethrow-out device independently of the configuration of the can in theseat, whereby a configuration sorting of the cans may be eflected by thedevice ejecting a predetermined configured can from the seat.

13. Canhandling mechanism comprising an annular series of seats, drivingmeans therefor, conducting means for positioning cans in the seats, athrow-out device for each seat, a stationary cam for operating thedevices as the seats move therepast for ejecting from the seats cans ofpredetermined throwout device contacting configuration and leaving cansof different device contacting configuration, and controlling means forremoving un-ejected cans from the seats which have passed the cam.

14:. Can handling mechanism comprising concentric ways, an intermediateone of which ways comprises an endless series of can seats, a throw-outdevice for selectin determined device contacting configure can,operating means for the device for ejecting a selected can from theseat, to one of said ways, and can coacting means for removing cansthrown to the way by the device.

15. Can handling mechanism comprising an inner upend supply way, anendless :annular series of seats about said way, conducting means forpositioning cans from the way to the seats, a sorter leaving certaincans on the seats, a way surrounding the annular series of seats toreceive cans from the seats as rocked down thereon by the sorter, and anup-ending chute for righting the rocked down cans.

16. Mechanism for handling end-filling hole cans including means forclassifying such cans embodying a support for the cans, and a can holecontacting device movable as to the support for shifting cans off thesupport.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature.

SYLVESTER EBERLY.

